This invention relates generally to a seating system in which the understructure of each seating section can be varied in slope to provide different sight lines for different stadium and arena configurations. More particularly, the invention represents an improvement over my prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,270. My earlier patented variable riser seating system provides lever arms for maintaining the transversely extending treads of the upper deck surface substantially level upon changing of the slope of the longitudinal support beams of the seating section. The treads are pivotally connected at one end to the beams and are pivotally connected at opposite ends to the lever arms, such opposite ends overlapping and being supported on an adjacent tread in the forward direction at a low riser height. The lever arms support the opposite ends of the treads on the beams when the arms are shifted to their substantially upright positions in a high riser height position of the seating system.
Although my patented variable riser seating system has enjoyed widespread success, it is desirable to improve upon the structural integrity of the system to render it more reliable and easier to manipulate.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a seating section of a seating system which offers improvements over the seating system of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,003, 270 in ease of operation, reliability and structural integrity. The present system is similar to my prior system in that it is structured to have a variable slope with treads pivotally mounted on hingedly mounted longitudinal support beams such that the riser heights are varied to maintain the required sight lines which permit use of a single seating system for multiple seating configurations such as ice hockey which typically requires a high riser height and such as basketball which typically requires a low riser height.
In the seating system according to the invention, the ends of the treads opposite their pivoting ends overlap adjacent treads, and lever arms are pivotable between angular and upright positions and extend between each of the treads and the underlying longitudinal beams for maintaining the treads substantially level in the low and high riser height positions of the treads. The opposite ends of the treads are supported on support plates mounted on the beams in the low riser height position, and the lever arms support the opposite ends of the treads on the support plates in the high riser height position of the seating section.
The lever arms extend between and are pivotally connected at opposite ends to the tread opposite ends and to tie rods lying parallel to the longitudinal beams and shiftable along their axes for pivotally moving the rods between their angular and upright positions to respectively effect low riser height and high riser height positions. The tie rods are roller supported beneath the longitudinal structural beams to effect a smooth and unimpeded variation in slope of the seating section.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.